Struick

Let me make something clear: Nowhere did I call anyone a 'freak".
And nowhere was I talking about "defiling" my Holy place.

Next time you respond please be correct and don't put words in my mouth.

Boanerges

The peoplof God are His church living stones and we will be God's New Jerusalem - There are two things to consider here-
1. God looks at your heart not your clothes.
2. You must have some standard of decency- it is not your style that could be a problem but you must have the right parts covered.
Other than that God can use someone dressed as a goth to reach a youngster that someone in a suit could not. Each of us can reach someone different- Kind of similar to Paul who was all things to all men- so unless it is obsene it doesn't matter that much to me! Case in point I was leaving a local mall this afternoon and I saw a kid dressed in the weirdest gitup I ever saw (and I've seen some weird ones) and one of my sons told e" oh yeah I know that guy he goes to my youth group" so I guesswe should never judge a book by its cover

Struick

I don't wear a suit to church. I wear jeans and a T shirt, but both are clean and there are no motorcycle riding "skulls" on my shirt.
I also ripped all the skulls off the old Harley after I became born again.
That's what I mean by "common sense" and anyone who can't understand that has a problem I think.

epistemaniac

dang it......! and I thought we were all supposed to wear lime green leisure suits, white shoes, and the kinda hair that wouldn't move if we stood in 100 mile an hour winds..... gotta get a near wardrobe, shoes, and I am not sure what to do about my hair.... it seems a blow torch won't even affect it....

Banarenth

I'm glad to see this topic was unlocked. I have an interest in it myself.

Struick, I totally understand what you are saying, and I take that to heart. But, I cannot choose to pretend to be someone I am not. Not externally, not internally. But I also feel there is a line. I do dress respectfuly in church. i don't come in shorts, or tight emo clothes. I dress cleanly for church, much moreso than in my every day travels, or even for work. But, I still dress as me. That doesn't involve blending in. IF the Holy Spirit chooses to convict me, even a little, I will change immediately, even if I don't like it. But, I won't make that decision based on my own limited understandings or on logic. I don't look the way I look just because I want to, or because I'm rebellious. Please understand, it is NOT an easy thing to do. Sometimes I truely wish I could just be like everyone else, and be "normal". But, I have to be true to myself, and true to God. I can't be a lie. Even if I never manage to minister to a single other goth, I am seen in the church, by Christians. I go out of my way to meet other Christians. And I've seen a huge change in the church because of it.

I was chased away from the church my whole life. Because, even when I tried to conform to the church "look", I always failed in some way or another. Christians and sinners can see a fake a mile away sometimes. Me trying to wear a suit SCREAMS fake. I ran from the church, I ran from God. It cost me 12 years of my life. That is a long time, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. And, when I came back, I honestly tried to blend in. I tried hard. I was uncomfortable, and my faith was weak. As my faith grew, and friends knew my background and accepted me for who I am, I stopped pretending. I come to church, as myself, wholly me. I don't care what people think of the way I look, only what God cares about.

But, what I HAVE seen, is a difference in the way other Christians began treating the outcasts that occassionally show up at the church. They have seen me, and they know my testimony. They know my heart is with Christ. So now, when someone weird shows up, I see the same people that used to ignore me, embrace them with open arms. I've SEEN something I never thought I'd ever see again in a church...hope.

Pastor Gary

Regarding appearances - It IS our calling to accept others for what is being worn in their heart rather than what is being worn as clothing. As Christians, in our every day lives, scripture tells us that we are NOT to judge others. There is only one judge and He will have the final say.

Matthew 7 (KJV) shows us the hypocritical nature of some persons and why they judge.

Persons who judge others meerly upon how they look are among those who are hypocrites. We pray for them...


Ref: Matthew 7:1-29 (KJV)


`

Boanerges

Heh fellows did I ever tell you about the homeless man who walked into our church naked one sunday morning? He went into the bathroom and started taking a bath in the washbasin- no kidding! Some of the ushers brougth him clothes and took him out to eat- I don't know what happened to him after that.
By the way back to the original topic I looked up the word weird in the dictionary and found my picture next to it

gibby

To me, weird people are more genuine.

__________________
Lampstand Christian Community

Boanerges

While it is true that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and "peculiar people" some of us (me!) seem to fit those descriptions best!

steveh53

By the way, what is it with that bluish tint on white haired old ladies? When I was a kid my great aunt who I thought was older than dirt had hair like that. I asked my father about it and he yelled at me and told me never to mention it again. I never have untill today.

Steve